Find out how popular the last name Vleck is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Vleck.

Vleck, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Vleck surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vleck in America

Vleck is the 133048th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vleck surname appeared 127 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Vleck.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vleck to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Vleck

The surname VLECK originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "vlek," which means "spot" or "stain." This suggests that the name may have been initially assigned as a descriptive nickname or occupational name for someone who worked with dyes or had a noticeable birthmark or blemish.

The earliest recorded instances of the VLECK surname can be traced back to records in the Dutch province of Friesland, where it was commonly spelled as "Vlecke" or "Vleke." One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Pieter Vlecke, a merchant from the city of Leeuwarden, who was mentioned in local tax records from the year 1587.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the VLECK name began to spread across other regions of the Netherlands, as well as to neighboring countries such as Belgium and Germany. It is likely that some variants of the spelling, such as "Fleck" or "Flecke," emerged during this time due to regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.

One notable figure from this era was Jan van Vleck (1635-1712), a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver from Amsterdam, known for his landscape paintings and etchings of rural scenes. His works can be found in various museums across Europe.

As Dutch explorers and settlers began to venture across the Atlantic, the VLECK surname made its way to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances in North America was Johannes Vleck, who arrived in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in 1652 from the Dutch Republic.

In the 19th century, a prominent bearer of the VLECK name was John Vleck (1801-1882), an American businessman and politician from New York. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly and was actively involved in the construction of the Erie Canal.

Another notable figure was John Hasbrouck Vleck (1856-1932), an American lawyer and judge who served as a justice on the New York Supreme Court from 1907 to 1927.

In more recent times, the VLECK surname has been carried by several accomplished individuals, including John Hasbrouck Van Vleck (1899-1980), an American physicist and mathematician who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1977 for his contributions to the understanding of the behavior of electrons in magnetic solids.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vleck

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Vleck.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Vleck was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Vleck has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Vleck was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Vleck, please contact us.

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